WHICH RESORT?

[Bowman432]

My family is hoping to come down to Disneyworld in December 2018. We are try to decide whether we want to stay at the Polynesian (facing the castle and lagoon) or stay at The Contemporary (facing the Magic Kingdom). We usually stay at Value Resorts but it seems that it takes so long to wait for the buses. We lose so much time in the parks!! Which one do you feel would be worth the money?! I am so excited to come I just don't want to pay lots of money at Polynesian facing the Cinderellsas castle and not get to see anything. Thanks for your help!

 

[dansdad]

My family is hoping to come down to Disneyworld in December 2018. We are try to decide whether we want to stay at the Polynesian (facing the castle and lagoon) or stay at The Contemporary (facing the Magic Kingdom). We usually stay at Value Resorts but it seems that it takes so long to wait for the buses. We lose so much time in the parks!! Which one do you feel would be worth the money?! I am so excited to come I just don't want to pay lots of money at Polynesian facing the Cinderellsas castle and not get to see anything. Thanks for your help!

Of those 2 choices our preference is the Poly for fireworks viewing. You are pretty much looking straight at the Castle, like if you were on Main Street, as opposed to the extreme side view from The Contemporary. The Contemporary is also great, but we just happen to prefer the view from The Poly.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I agree with dansdad. I would pick Poly not only for the view but for the overall resort experience. CR is closer to MK, but you get a view of a gigantic parking lot along with your view of MK. Kind of spoils it for me.

 

[Sue M]

I prefer Poly too, for lots of reasons. But if your top priority is fast transportation, being able to walk to MK from CR is best.

 

[bettybooplove]

My family is hoping to come down to Disneyworld in December 2018. We are try to decide whether we want to stay at the Polynesian (facing the castle and lagoon) or stay at The Contemporary (facing the Magic Kingdom). We usually stay at Value Resorts but it seems that it takes so long to wait for the buses. We lose so much time in the parks!! Which one do you feel would be worth the money?! I am so excited to come I just don't want to pay lots of money at Polynesian facing the Cinderellsas castle and not get to see anything. Thanks for your help!

You mentioned transportation and being able to see Cinderella's castle without having a blocked bungalow view. The Contemporary has the best transportation to MK since it's within walking distance. It also doesn't have any blocked views of MK. In fact it has the best views in my opinion.

I would definitely go with the Contemporary. I'm probably in the minority but I prefer the clean, modern lines of the Contemporary over the dark decor of the Polynesian.

 

[mickeynut1]

Another vote for the Poly.

 

[chocolateavocado]

We've never stayed at the CR, but we LOVE the Poly- It's our favorite resort!

 

[Rikariko12]

We just stayed at the Poly the last week of May. It was the best stay we've ever had. We were 3rd floor Samoa facing the big pool. It was absolutely beautiful! It's not a huge resort so the walk to the lobby/monorail was quick, the beach to watch the Fireworks was close, and the walk to Ticket and Transportation wasn't bad at all. Plus you get to walk through the beautiful grounds on your way with Hawaiian music playing with every step. So, I looked forward to that walk. I would go down everyday and get a Pineapple Dole Whip, which tastes better at the Poly vs. MK. Plus, I can't get the amazing smell of the place out of my head. I've been searching the internet trying to find the best candle that smell like their lobby. We are planning a trip for Oct. 2018 and will be deciding between Caribbean Beach, Riverside, and Pop. Even though I'm excited to try a different resort (I really want to try Beach club) I know I will be by the Poly on our trip just to get a Dole Whip, eat, and walk through the grounds to get my Poly fix.

 

[prgal0715]

I've stayed at both of those resorts and the Poly is the hands-down winner for me. CR is great and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again, but something about the Poly is truly magical.

 

[Bowman432]

Of those 2 choices our preference is the Poly for fireworks viewing. You are pretty much looking straight at the Castle, like if you were on Main Street, as opposed to the extreme side view from The Contemporary. The Contemporary is also great, but we just happen to prefer the view from The Poly.

 

[Bowman432]

Thank you for your input which really helps us alot. When I saw the pricing of Poly with the Room facing the Magic Kingdom, I was a little shocked to see it is over $900.00. We do have quite awhile to save the money, but have to be honest, it is quite a shocker!!!! The thing is when we go on vacation, we want to go and have a wonderful experience, especially at Disney. My husband had a recent heart attack and I just had 4 cancer surgeries and another one in July of this year (don't know how many more before we come in Dec. 2018,} so being able to jump the monorail, go into the MK and then back and forth to rest if necessary, the Poly does seem to be the best. I am so excited to come next December, I can barely wait!! Thanks again for your help

 

[Sue M]

Thank you for your input which really helps us alot. When I saw the pricing of Poly with the Room facing the Magic Kingdom, I was a little shocked to see it is over $900.00. We do have quite awhile to save the money, but have to be honest, it is quite a shocker!!!! The thing is when we go on vacation, we want to go and have a wonderful experience, especially at Disney. My husband had a recent heart attack and I just had 4 cancer surgeries and another one in July of this year (don't know how many more before we come in Dec. 2018,} so being able to jump the monorail, go into the MK and then back and forth to rest if necessary, the Poly does seem to be the best. I am so excited to come next December, I can barely wait!! Thanks again for your help

At Poly you don't have to have an MK view to enjoy them, we were in Samoa facing Lava pool. The view was beautiful, and we loved sitting at the beach or pool lounges to watch the fireworks.
Watch for discount release of discounts, or book with a Disney Specialized Travel Company who will do the watching for you.

 

[ols386]

You mentioned transportation and being able to see Cinderella's castle without having a blocked bungalow view. The Contemporary has the best transportation to MK since it's within walking distance. It also doesn't have any blocked views of MK. In fact it has the best views in my opinion.

I would definitely go with the Contemporary. I'm probably in the minority but I prefer the clean, modern lines of the Contemporary over the dark decor of the Polynesian.

I feel the same way. And being able to see Cinderella's Castle lit up after dark, is amazing.

 

[prgal0715]

Thank you for your input which really helps us alot. When I saw the pricing of Poly with the Room facing the Magic Kingdom, I was a little shocked to see it is over $900.00. We do have quite awhile to save the money, but have to be honest, it is quite a shocker!!!! The thing is when we go on vacation, we want to go and have a wonderful experience, especially at Disney. My husband had a recent heart attack and I just had 4 cancer surgeries and another one in July of this year (don't know how many more before we come in Dec. 2018,} so being able to jump the monorail, go into the MK and then back and forth to rest if necessary, the Poly does seem to be the best. I am so excited to come next December, I can barely wait!! Thanks again for your help

FWIW - a CL GV room at the Poly is comparable price-wise to a non-CL TPV room. Yes, you'd be facing the Oasis pool - which is beautiful - but you'd have the lounge for breakfast and snacks plus a stunning view of the castle and the fireworks at night. (They dim the lights and pipe in the music for the fireworks!) It might be a nice way to treat yourself and make the whole vacation experience extra special.

 

[Tonyz]

If the only thing you care about is being able to walk to MK go with the Contempo. But anything else I think the Poly beats it.

 

[JoanneAZ]

I loved my stay at the Contemporary in a theme park view tower room. Yes, the walk to the park was quick but there are other considerations, too.

If you look at a map of the Poly, some rooms can be quite a walk to the main building and the monorail. At the Contemporary everything you need is right there in the main building. The quick service Contempo Cafe is on the 4th floor, the table service restaurants are on the 1st floor (the Wave), the 4th floor (Chef Mickey's), and the entrance to the California Grill is on the 2nd floor. The shops are on the 4th floor and the monorail runs right through the hotel itself. Everything is a short walk to the elevator and then a short walk to your destination. Security is a breeze! For the monorail the security checkpoint is right in the hotel (I think you may be rescreened at the park before entry), the walking security checkpoint is on the sidewalk near the park and I never saw more than a few people at a time here.

At night I watched the fireworks from my balcony (every regular tower room has a balcony) and could even see Tink flying (she was a tiny bright light but I could see her!) and I love that the fireworks music is piped in to the TV at the Contemporary, I don't think they do that at any other hotel. I could see the flash of light when the pictures were taken on Splash and I could watch the Astro Orbiter spin around. In the afternoon from my balcony I could even faintly hear the chug of the train as it went by.

I hope this helps you or someone else to decide on a resort and I hope you're thrilled with your choice and your vacation!

 

[kaspurr]

If the only thing you care about is being able to walk to MK go with the Contempo. But anything else I think the Poly beats it.

I agree, at the Contemporary you have that convenience factor of walking to Magic Kingdom and the resort itself is really nice but lacks a bit of the Disney themeing. Being a huge stitch fan I love Polynesian and the vibes of that resort. The convenience of transportation is still there but I feel like you get a little more from the resort itself.

 

[jimmymc]

CR is definitely the better location and I think the better view. Your room will also be closer to the transportation. If you want to spend time at the resort then the Poly has a great pool and a great atmosphere to relax, but some of the buildings can be a longer walk to the monorail (not as far as the value rooms, but longer than going from a CR tower room to the lobby). I personally like the modern style of the CR rooms better, but the poly rooms are definitely nice.

I would personally go with CR, but if you plan on using the resort pool a lot then the Poly has the advantage there.